Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has escalated the political confrontation with the ruling BJP over the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), declaring that his party will compel the Narendra Modi-led government to reverse its decision to disband the crucial job guarantee scheme.
Rahul Gandhi's Stern Warning from Abroad
In a strongly-worded statement issued while he was in Germany attending an international political meeting, Rahul Gandhi asserted that MGNREGA has provided leverage and bargaining power to India's most vulnerable sections. He credited the scheme with reducing exploitation and distress migration, while simultaneously improving wages and working conditions across rural India.
"That leverage is precisely what this government wants to break," Gandhi alleged. He outlined what he sees as the Prime Minister's clear targets: to weaken labour and dilute the leverage of rural India, particularly among Dalits, Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and Adivasis. He condemned the move as "anti-state and anti-village," describing MGNREGA as the rural poor's last line of defence.
Congress Draws Parallel with Farm Laws Protest
The Congress party has drawn a direct comparison to the successful farmers' movement that pressured the Centre into repealing the three contentious farm laws. Senior Congress MPs Jairam Ramesh and Manickam Tagore issued a joint warning, reminding the government that sustained protests forced the Prime Minister to roll back what they termed the "three black farm laws."
They expressed confidence that the Congress Working Committee (CWC), scheduled to meet on December 27, will formulate a concrete action plan for a nationwide stir on the MGNREGA issue. The opposition believes this issue holds significant potential to resonate with weaker socio-economic sections and could help unite the often-fractured anti-BJP political bloc.
Building a Nationwide Front Against the Move
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha emphasized that Congress will stand firmly with workers, panchayats, and state governments to defeat this move. The strategy involves building a nationwide front to ensure the law is withdrawn.
Opposition members have pointed to past successful protests against the land acquisition bill and the farm laws as a blueprint. They argue that any weakening of the MGNREGA structure will directly impact millions of poor households who depend on it for livelihood security. Jairam Ramesh starkly stated, "Like the three black farm laws were to impact the farmers, this law will hurt the vulnerable sections."
The opposition's hope for an effective agitation is bolstered by the expected support from advocacy groups and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which they believe will help amplify the message and mobilize the scheme's beneficiaries across the country.
